Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Congregation Ohev Shalom Hebrew school will be holding open houses for any prospective students entering pre-k through seventh grade in the fall and their parents. "The best way to see what we do is to see us in action," said Amy Geboff, director of youth and family education. Students are invited to spend a day at school on any of the following Sundays and Wednesdays: April 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29; and May 3, 6, 10. On any of the Sundays, Education committee members will be available to chat wit... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Choices' 40 ambassadors have been working hard to make this year's event the party of the year. On April 14, Choices will be off and running into its 21st celebration, starting out of the gate with a Kentucky Derby-themed cocktail party, complete with its own signature drink created especially for Choices women, "The Sparkling Mint Jewlep," to sip while mingling with friends or having pictures taken against a green screen with images of racing scenes or... Full story
Eighth graders from Congregation Ohev Shalom attended the annual regional Gesher convention of United Synagogue Youth March 20-22 in Orlando. "Gesher" is a bridge and the convention, which is for eighth graders only from the entire Ha Negev Region, serves as a bridge from the middle school youth group Kadima to the high school group USY. Any Jewish sixth-12th grader is welcome to join COS Kadima or USY regardless of synagogue membership.... Full story
One of the highlights of the Selznick Middle School at the Jewish Academy of Orlando is the eighth-grade trip to Israel. This year, 11 students, accompanied by their teacher, Idit Lotringer, traveled to Israel for a 12-day trip that changed their lives. For most of the students, this was their first trip to Israel and they have come back inspired and transformed. During their time in Israel, the students visited Tel Aviv, Haifa and the north of Israel. Near Haifa, the students visited a school in Orlando’s sister city, Kfar Motzkin, and s... Full story
Central Florida Hillel students (l-r) Tamara Zishuk, Kayla Symonds, Desia Bacon, and Matt Ubl cleaned the headstones at the COS Cemetery as a community service project on Sunday, March 22.... Full story
With the approach of Passover, Orlando's Jewish community is in full pre-holiday-madness mode. So much has to be done-house cleaning, Seder preparation, shopping and more shopping. This year children will play a special role in ushering in the Passover holiday with the Model Matzah Bakery. The traditional matzah bread was round and hand baked, in contrast with the uniform store bought square variety. The eating of the matzah is one of the most fundamental of this holiday, commemorating the... Full story
When the pitch for a campaign involves the phrase "serving the world," most teenagers would have a tendency to shrink away from the job. But for a group of Orlando Jewish teenagers, the magnitude of the job is what attracted them in the first place. J-Serve is a teen-led international day of Jewish youth service taking place in communities all across the world in the spring. From 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, all Jewish teens from sixth – 12th grade are invited to participate and open t... Full story
At this year's Choices event, held on April 14, American writer, TV producer and former journalist Jennifer Weiner will charm the Choices audience with her wit as she discusses her books, personal experiences and women's search for a sense of self. She has authored nine best-selling books, including eight novels and a collection of short stories, with a reported 11 million copies in print in 36 countries. She also was voted No. 14 on Time magazine's list of 140 Best Twitter Feeds. Her latest nov... Full story
Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) for a program featuring a presentation by Mitchell Bloomer of The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida on April 7 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Maitland Public Library, located at 501 South Maitland Ave., Maitland. The program is open to the public and admission is free. Millions of people were killed, and millions more suffered unbelievable horrors and persecution in The Holocaust. To help us learn more about... Full story
The theme of this year's 2015 Choices event is "It Takes A Woman," and this year's recipient of the Harriet Ginsburg Woman of Choice award, Ina Porth, has proven throughout the years that she is a woman who can get things done. Who is a Woman of Choice? The Mishna teaches that it is imperative not to be separate from the community. A Woman of Choice is connected to the Jewish community and is committed to Jewish life. She exhibits leadership qualities and is a committed volunteer with the... Full story
The Holocaust Center has chosen local activists, Susan and Gordon Arkin, as honorees at this year's Dinner of Tribute. For decades, the couple has identified needs and inspired change throughout the community. "Susan and Gordon have done so much to better the lives of all who call Central Florida home. They are wonderful ambassadors of the Holocaust Center and our mission to create an inclusive, caring community where everyone feels welcome and valued, and that is why we're honoring them," said... Full story
A dozen prominent black pastors from across the country stood in support of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he spoke on March 3 to a Joint session of Congress about Iran's nuclear ambitions. "The thing to me that makes no sense is why the Congressional Black Caucus has teamed up with this current administration against Israel," Pastor Dexter D. Sanders of Orlando, Florida, said in an interview with the Washington Times. "And yes, black caucus, I'm saying you have gone... Full story
The Jewish Academy of Orlando is hosting its second annual Spring Fling festival on March 29, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its Maitland campus. The festival will host food trucks, a video simulator, bounce houses, characters, and more. The centerpiece of the event is a unique marketplace inside the school featuring oils, jewelry, clothing and more. This exciting festival offers attractions for many age groups, from preschool to adults. Games2U will feature their movie simulator, while others... Full story
Jewish National Fund (JNF)’s Women for Israel (WFI) will host a Wines of Israel Tasting on March 24 at a private home in Longwood. The event will feature wines that spotlight the vineyards of the Negev desert, Galilee, and the Golan Heights. JNF’s work in those areas will also be discussed, including the booming city of Be’er Sheva and JNF’s Go North initiative, which aims to attract new residents to the Galilee and strengthen the economic and social quality of the region, among other projects. “We look forward to having a wonderful group of... Full story
Local children will participate in a hands-on pre-Passover experience as a Model Matzah Factory is set up for them in Ocala on Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m. at The Chabad Jewish Center, 3509 SW 34th Ave. Circle. The children will re-enact the process of manufacturing matzah, from grinding the flour to kneading the dough, to baking the matzahs on a stone oven, all within 18 minutes, the time limit in which matzah must be made. Chabad Rabbi Yossi Hecht, director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Center of Marion County and The Villages, will... Full story
Rabbi Joshua Neely of Temple Israel will continue his series, “Conversations with the Rabbi,” on Sunday, March 29, 4 p.m. at Brown’s New York Deli at the corner of Lake Avenue and 17-92 in Maitland (156 Lake Avenue). This month’s topic is True to the Text – Does God and Our Tradition Demand a Hyperliteral Reading of Torah and Other Texts? How Much Metaphor is Too Much? This program gives the community a chance to meet and talk with Rabbi Neely in an intimate group setting. There is no charge to attend, and everyone is welcome. For more info... Full story
Rosen JCC pre-schoolers bring Purim joy to seniors The children in the Early Childhood Learning Center of the Rosen JCC decorated and filled Shalach Manot baskets to donate to the Jewish Pavilion for distribution to seniors in nursing homes, assisted living and rehabilitation facilities. Gloria Green, program director of the Jewish Pavilion for the Orlando Downtown to the Southwest sector of Orange County, was presented the baskets by two children from each class at a morning ceremony at the JCC... Full story
Jewish Pavilion Program Director Gloria Green organized nine Purim parties at nine different assisted living facilities in the downtown Orlando and Southwest Orlando areas all in just eight days. "It was a wonderful experience, Purim is a happy holiday and it did indeed bring joy to these seniors," Green said of the events. Jewish Pavilion volunteers and Green gave Shalach Manot baskets, filled with goodies by the children of the Rosen JCC Early Childhood Learning Center, to the seniors at the... Full story
CJC’s second night Passover seder dinner service will take place on Saturday, April 4th, 6:30 pm at Celebration’s Heritage Hall, under the leadership of their rabbi, Dr. Richard Cowin. Rabbi Cowin has selected a Haggadah that will allow for a comprehensive, yet expeditious Seder service. As in the past, fabulous Kosher-style cuisine will be prepared by TooJay’s Catering of Orlando, recognized by the Zagat Survey as an outstanding delicatessen/restaurant. The seder dinner buffet menu contains traditional Passover favorites for adults and child... Full story
Rabbi Karen Allen will lead Congregation Beth Sholom in a Passover seder on April 4 at 5:45 p.m. at Pennbrooke Fairways, 501 State Road 44 in Leesburg. Catered by Deanna’s Catering, the menu features gefilte fish, Matzo ball soup, an entree choice of oven-roasted beef brisket or baked salmon, with carrot tzimmes and oven-roasted potatoes. A variety of Passover cakes and cookies will be served. The cost is $36 per adult or teen. A children’s meal of grilled chicken fingers is available for $15 for children 6-12, with no charge for children 5 a... Full story
Discover the taste of freedom and experience spiritual liberation at the second-night seder at Temple Israel led by Rabbi Joshua Neely, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. Catered by Brown’s New York Deli, the menu will include choice of brisket, chicken or a vegetarian entrée and wine, grape juice, assorted beverages and a dessert buffet. The cost will be $38 for adult Temple Israel members and $48 for adult nonmembers. Children up to age 12 are free. Make your reservations online at www.tiflorifa.org/events/second-night-seder-2015-04-04, email us at of... Full story
Donations to The Griswold Cares Foundation by Griswold Home Care franchisees, friends, and family exceeded expectations in 2014 and allowed the Foundation to award $30,000 worth of grants to 38 nonprofit organizations across the nation. The Jewish Pavilion's Orlando Senior Help Desk was one of the organizations chosen to receive a grant. It is the mission of The Jewish Pavilion to enhance the quality of life of our elders and their families by strengthening their connection to the community.... Full story
Seven-hundred and seventy Orlando college students, faculty, staff and community members will gather together for a celebration of Jewish unity at the third annual Mega Shabbat on UCF’s campus. The traditional Shabbat Dinner will be held in huge tent on Memory Mall on the UCF Campus on March 20, with appetizers at 6:30 p.m., at 7:15 women will light Shabbat Candles, and the Shabbat Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. The event is open to the entire Orlando community. Shabbat 770 is a project developed by the Chabad on Campus National F... Full story
On March 13, 1656, the government of New Amsterdam, on the island of Manhattan, denied the first application to build a synagogue in North America. This evening, March 13, 2015, the Jews of Western Volusia County will gather at 7 p.m. in the synagogue of Temple Shalom of Deltona to mark the 19th annual Shabbat Across America and Canada program, coordinated by the National Jewish Outreach Program. The event will bring together the membership of Temple Israel of DeLand, Congregation Beth Shalom of Orange City and Temple Shalom of Deltona.... Full story
Congregation Sinai Sisterhood will hold its fifth annual “A Taste of Passover” seder on March 19 at 12:30 p.m. at the synagogue, located at 03A N. Hwy 27 in Minneola. It will be an outreach event, as the women’s groups from three local churches will be invited to attend. Sisterhood will lead its members and guests through an abbreviated seder meal, using a specially prepared 30-minute Haggadah (the book that tells the order of the story of the Exodus). There will be holiday foods which help explain the story, such as charoset (a wine mixtu... Full story
